Waiting for Her (Allegiant alternative ending)
by fanvergent99
Summary: Tris manages to survive being shot, but she clings to life by a thread on a deep coma. When the doctors threaten to pull her plug, Tobias takes her back to Chicago, and waits for her to wake up there. But what will happen in three years when she hasn't woke up? I do not own the Divergent trilogy or any of it's characters. If I did Peter would be dead, and Tris would be alive.
1. Chapter 1

Tobias' Point of View

Day of Bureau Reset

When we reach the compound, I think that Caleb must've completed his mission, because it looks deserted. We pass the abandoned security checkpoint, and make our way to the compound. I see Cara waiting for us.

 _Where's Tris?_

As we get closer to Cara I notice that she has a bandage on her head and a bruise covers half of her face. I walk up to her, expecting her to tell me where Tris is, but she refuses to meet my eyes. That worries me. It feels like a heavy weight is sinking into my stomach.

"Where is Tris?" I finally manage to sputter out.

"I-she…" Cara stutters and then trails off.

"What happened to…," Christina asks, but I interrupt.

"Where. Is. She." I growl. Cara stops, takes a breath and finally looks over at me.

"She…She went into the Weapons Lab instead of Caleb. She survived the death serum, but David was waiting at the other end of the vestibule, and he shot her. Twice. She just got out of surgery, and the doctors…," but I don't hear her finish. I sprint toward the entrance, and then to the infirmary. I search around for any sign of her, when I see him.

Caleb is standing in front of a door at the end of the hallway. I walk over toward him, and he sees me and starts to move, looking for an escape from the inevitable. But then I am in front of him, I take the front of his shirt in my fists and slam him against the wall. I can't think of any words strong enough to match what I am feeling, so instead I punch him. In the nose, fitting for an Erudite. Then I hear a door open.

"I already have one patient, I don't want another,"

It's the doctor. He wouldn't have another patient, there would just be another body in the morgue, but I don't want to mess with one of the people who are holding my Tris' life in their hands. I put Caleb down, he has a bloody nose and a busted lip. It wasn't what I wanted to do, nowhere near the amount of harm that I wanted to cause but I don't push the issue. Somehow I think that Tris would be less than pleased

"I need to speak to her family" he adds.

"That would be me," I speak up, giving Caleb a glare, challenging him to speak up. He doesn't.

"Come in here please" the doctor opens the door. I brace myself and walk through.

When I walk into her room, my eyes immediately look for her, but the doctors and nurses around her obscure her from view. It is all I can do keep our composure, to keep from falling apart. I can hear the beeping that I hope is coming from a heart monitor, and I can see tubes that lead to the center of the cluster.

"She was shot once in the abdomen, and in her chest, puncturing her lung. We've repaired that. But between the physical trauma and the death serum, she seems to have fallen into a coma. We're confident that she'll heal, we just don't know when-or _if_ -she'll wake up." The doctor leaves without another word, and the others follow him out revealing the bruised and bloodied body of my Tris.

She is so small, so pale. The rise and fall of her chest is so faint that if you weren't looking for it you might not even see it. The sheets are soaked with her blood, and I see a tube that goes from her arm and connects to a small bag full of red liquid…blood. She has a large bruise on the side if her face. I walk over to her bed and take her small hand in my own shaky one. She will wake up. She was strong enough to fight off the death serum, so I _know_ she is strong enough to fight and wake up.

 _If_

That one word has the power to make the composure that I fought so hard to keep intact earlier to crumble to pieces. I fall to my knees beside her bedtable, and start uncontrollably sobbing into the thin mattress that she lies on. I feel the emotions well up inside of me, the anger at Caleb for letting her go, at her for going in the first place, the fear that she will never wake up, and the fear of what life would be like without her. I remember all too well my last fear landscape, the way I could not help her, but that wasn't real. This is real, my worst fear has come to life. I feel all the emotions combine and form a monster inside me that writhes its way into my core.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning I am sitting in one of the chairs that one of the nurses brought for Tris' visitors, realizing there would need to be more than one because I refused to leave her room. I eventually dozed off after a while of sitting beside Tris, holding her hand, but quickly woke because of the images that floated in my mind as I slept. I hear a knock at the door, and I hear someone walk in. Christina. She walks over to the other chair ad sits down, taking Tris' other hand. For a while we sit there, silent, just watching her. The nurse that brought the chairs last night also changed her sheets, getting rid of the bloody ones and making it almost seem as if Tris was just taking a very long nap. After a while, Christina finally speaks,

"I saw what you did to Caleb yesterday, but he deserved it and I wasn't going to get in your way. But I am surprised that you let him go that easy." I don't say anything, so she continues.

"Matthew told us what happened. And with the doctors being affected by the serum, I was surprised they were still able to work on her like they did," she continues after she sees the confused look on my face she continues. "Matthew explained that too, he said that because the serum only targets memories, they still remember the skills they've picked up. So they're still qualified to be doctors, just maybe not explain the mess of the past couple hundred years." Okay. "So even though they don't know who they are, they were still able to do…doctor stuff?" well, it's not like I know what the technical term for what doctors do is. She agrees and then we fall into silence. After a little while she gets up and walks out of the room.

Around noon the doctor and a couple nurses come in the room.

"Since Ms. Prior has been in stable condition for around twenty-four hours, we need to run some tests. We have to ask you to leave the room while we conduct them," he pauses for a moment,

"May I ask what relation you are to Ms. Prior?"

I stop and consider the question, I know that being her boyfriend doesn't really constitute as family, and I'm pretty sure that is why he's asking this question. But, the whole "boyfriend girlfriend" doesn't really describe the dynamic of our relationship. It just seems too… _light_ of a term. I love her, I would die for her, and I would follow her anywhere. If she… dies here then I will follow her into whatever waits for us when we depart this life. I'll have to, because the walls that I had built before crumbled to the ground that night in the chasm. I have become utterly and completely dependent on her. I need her, I need her presence like I need air. But "boyfriend" is really the only short term for what I am, because otherwise I would have to explain everything.

"I'm…I'm her boyfriend." It still don't feel right. But he accepts my answer with a nod.

I don't really want to leave her, but I do for the same reason that I let go of Caleb yesterday. I wander around the compound, not really aiming for a specific destination. I find myself in the atrium, where she and I were before I left for Chicago. My mind starts racing. I should've known, should've stayed. Or at least I should've made her come with me. I see Zeke, and think _this, all of this, is my fault_. I take off in a sprint outside, searching for solitude. When I find that I sink to my knees and start sobbing. It feels just like it did yesterday, only the monster has added a new emotion, guilt. I lean against the wall, falling off my knees and lift them so that my feet sit on the ground. I drop my head on my knees, and then I hear somebody walk up beside me, but I won't lift my head to see who it is. I hope they will leave. For a while whoever it is just stands there and then I hear them walk away.

A few hours later, I find my way back to the infirmary. The doctor is in her room, almost like he was waiting for me.

"Mr. Eaton, I need to speak with you. Ms. Prior is in stable condition, yes. But we do not believe that she will regain consciousness any time soon. In fact, for her to regain consciousness any time in the next year would be almost miraculous. At this time we do not believe it would be a proper use of limited resources to continue-"

"You will NOT pull the plug on her!" I jump up, shouting "I don't care about what you consider to be a proper use of resources! She is going to wake up!"

The doctor just looks at me calmly, "You hope so" he says and then he walks out of the room. I sit back down in the chair, and drop my head into my shaking hands.


	3. True Colors

A few days later I am in Tris' room, where I have stayed the past few days. I cannot remember the last time I slept, I am too afraid of the nightmares that haunt me every time I close my eyes. Christina and even Hana have brought me trays with food, only to return later to discover them untouched. Christina informed me that Uriah monitor showed brain activity yesterday. At least that's some good news. They moved Tris to a room with a private bathroom, so I haven't had to leave to take care of personal hygiene. I spend my days watching her, hungrily taking in every sign that she has not left this world in favor of the other, has not left me to face the challenges of this changing place alone. But in a way, I am alone, because she isn't here. Not really.

I hear footsteps enter the room, but I do not take my eyes off Tris.

"You know, making yourself sick isn't gonna make her wake up any faster," I look up, and see Evelyn scowling down at me, holding a tray. I look past her and see Christina, who then walks away, leaving me, my mother, and the unconscious form of my girlfriend, alone. I don't answer her, so she sets the tray down and walks over and sits in the other chair. I want her to leave, because she has never cared for Tris, so there is no way she could ever understand. But I know she will not leave unless I eat, so after a few minutes I take the now cold tray. I eat the food, but I do not taste it, in truth I don't even know what I am eating. I don't even look at the tray. When I am done, I set the tray down and give her a look that supposed to say _See? I ate. Now take a hint and leave._ She doesn't. She just sits there as I once again grab Tris' hand.

After a little while, she walks over and takes the tray from the table. She turns and walks out of the room. I am glad for this, but it doesn't last long because about ten minutes later she walks back into the room. She walks back over to the chair, and sits down.

"What are you gonna do when she doesn't wake up?" she asks it like it's a perfectly normal question, like it doesn't feel like a punch to the gut.

"She'll wake up," it's meant to sound fierce, but I just sound tired.

"No, she won't. And even if she could, the doctors are planning to take her off of life support inn a week, they're just too afraid to tell you because of the way you reacted when the doctor brought it up."

She pauses for a moment,

"She _chose_ this, Tobias. _She chose to leave you_. She made her bed, let her lie in it."

She still hates her. She doesn't even care what I think, she just wants me to follow her, like a good little puppy. She hasn't changed, she didn't chose me. She just chose the way that she thought would give her the most control. I start shaking, I am so angry that I don't even register the fact that I have already started yelling at her.

"What the hell gives you the right to talk about her like that?! You just want her dead so that you can control me, right! Right!" She starts to interrupt, but I don't give her the chance. I stop shouting, but my voice trembles from false calm

"Well, you can forget that. I will never follow you, I don't why I even gave you the choice. I should've known what it would've come down to. You had it wrong back at Erudite headquarters. _She_ is permanent, I thought I wanted you to be, too. But you have already made clear _exactly_ what you want. Get out."

She stays her ground. I will not hurt her, I won't lay a hand on her. She knows that, knows that I am terrified of becoming like Marcus. Right now, she is using that against me, testing me to see if I break. I raise my hand and point at the door,

"Get out." I growl.

She gives me a look, one you would give a poorly trained dog and walks out the door.

Even though I know I can no longer trust Evelyn, I know she was telling the truth. In a way I knew what the doctors are planning. I feel like I should've seen this coming. I just didn't expect them to try it so soon. I need a way to get Tris out of here before the go through with their plan. I can't think of any, but I know of someone who may have a solution. Thank God that at that moment a nurse walks in. She must've heard the yelling and came to see if anything is wrong. I ask her if she minds staying in here with Tris while I go talk to a friend, she agrees and I take off down the hallway. Though I'm not quite sure when I started thinking of Christina as a friend, or maybe it's that she is Tris' friend and that's what I meant.

I go to the dormitory where she and I used to sleep. I see Christina talking to Zeke and Hana, Zeke walks away as soon as he sees me walking up. I greet them and ask Hana if I can borrow Christina. When she nods I take Christina outside into the hallway.

"Okay, I need your help. Do you know about what the doctors are planning?" she shakes her head. I thought not. I explain to her what Evelyn told me, and the argument. Then I explain to her my plan to her. She just watches me, not speaking. She nods periodically, apparently approving, of my plan, not unplugging Tris'. I could see the anger radiating off of her when I told her that. First these doctors are adamant about unplugging Uriah, and now Tris.

"Can you stay in there and watch her while I'm gone? I don't trust anyone else here enough to leave them alone with her, except maybe Cara, but there's still a little mistrust there because of what happened to Will. I definitely don trust Caleb or Evelyn, and I can't ask Zeke or Hana after Uriah. I barely know Matthew. Please." She just stands there and studies me for a second, then she says,

"Of course. I don't even know why you would think that you would have to say _please_." She walks back into the dormitory for a second, then she walks towards the direction of the infirmary.

I walk back into the dormitory over to my cot. I grab a fresh change of clothes from under it and walk out into the hallway headed for the showers. And run smack into Zeke. I mumble an apology and try to get past him to the bathroom.

"Whoa, Four. You look like hell"

I don't know what to say, I don't feel like making a joke, so I just say "Sorry" again and walk past him to the bathroom. He wasn't saying it in a cruel way, he seemed just as surprised to run into me as I him. He calls something over his shoulder, but I am not paying attention. I get to the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

I take a shower and change into the fresh set of clothes that I brought. I don't bother to shave, I'm in too much of a hurry. I glance up at the mirror and immediately notice that I am paler than usual, and that there are dark rings around my eyes from lack of sleep. I honestly don't care. I finish towel drying my hair as much as I can, and walk out of the bathroom.

I go back to the dormitory to grab a jacket and put it on, drawing the hood over my head because I am no help to Tris sick. When I walk out I see Evelyn heading towards me and immediately walk the other way, she will not set another chance this time, I don't believe in the three strike rule. I go outside where the trucks are kept, they aren't really guarded anymore because of the reset. I take a set of keys and walk to the corresponding truck, thankful for the chart so I don't have to waste time searching for the right truck. I start it up and drive out of the gates, away from the compound and the people that are trying to rip the only person that really matters to me out of my hands.


	4. The Plan

I drive for what seems like hours, thoughts running through my head like somebody gave a five year old an entire cake all to himself. I think about what I am going to say, how I might be able to convince Johanna to help me. I told her I wasn't coming back, so I know she will be surprised to see me. But then the thought creeps into my mind _What if it doesn't work? What if she doesn't agree? Thinks that Tris is a lost cause like the doctors?_ I shove the thought and the tears that follow down so that I don't have a breakdown halfway between the Bureau and Chicago.

When I reach the city I find a guard and ask him where I can find Johanna Reyes. He tells me that she has set up in the Candor headquarters, because of the centralized location in the city. I thank him and begin the drive that will lead me to the same place where I pulled the trigger that executed Eric, where Tris told everyone that she had killed Will, even though she could've withheld that information if she wanted to. Where we had our first real argument. I don't like the place, but it is certainly better than Erudite. Still, I dread seeing that place.

When I reach Candor headquarters I immediately see Johanna, walking towards one of the elevators. I walk over there and get into the same elevator that she does.

"Tobias! I thought you weren't coming back. Wait, are you okay?" her eyes take in my appearance, and a look of concern suddenly comes across her face. I doubt my shower did anything for my pale reflection and the dark rings around my eyes. I start shaking my head, hoping she will understand and can somehow give me a small hope.

"It's Tris, she…" and the speech, that I spent the whole drive planning, falters and I look at her, hoping she understands. Her eyes get wide as she tries to process the three words I just uttered.

"Oh my God, is she-" I stop her before she can say that word, the one that I cannot associate with Tris.

"No" I say, but then add "Not yet"

I tell Johanna the horrible story of what happened as we exit the elevator and make our way to her office, not even leaving out the fact that I tried to kill Caleb. Then I tell her of the fight that I had with Evelyn, and the little revelation that came along with it.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't know what to do. I can't let them pull her plug, I just-" I have to take deep breath before I finish, "I just can't"

She stays silent for a little while, I can tell she's digesting the information. I don't want to appear impatient, but I am. I know I left Tris with Christina, but there is only so much she can do if they decide to do it while I'm gone and they bring security. She waits before answering.

"Okay"

"Okay what?" I ask.

"We'll try to find a way to help, I'll go get one of the former Erudite doctors" sensing my tension at those words she says "Not one of Jeanine's puppets, I promise. I know this one. Wait here." hopefully it doesn't take long for Johanna to find her friend.

It doesn't. About ten minutes after she left, she walks in talking with a man who screams Erudite. Johanna is the first to speak.

"This is Jonathan Evers, he was a doctor at the Erudite before he defected and then joined the Allegiant soon after your departure. I believe he can help you." I nod. Then he speaks up.

"Okay, Mr. Eaton, can you describe your friend's current state?"

Friend? But I don't really want to correct him on it right now, so I explain as best as I can what happened to Tris. I'm starting to wish I had brought Cara with me. I try and remember some of the terms that the other doctor used, and this doctor jut listens as I speak. When I am done, unable to continue for fear of breaking down, he just stands there for a minute, thinking.

"With what you have told me about Ms. Prior's condition, the doctors are right to assume that she will not wake up any time soon." My stomach drops.

"However, if they are doing as you say, then I have to ask you a question. Are you sure that this is the best for all the parties involved, including Ms. Prior?" I just stare incredulously at him for a minute. Then I feel my face flush as I get really angry.

"Of course" I snarl.

"Tobias, he was simply asking a question. I understand how much she means to you, enough that you just turned on the mother that you were starting to fix the relationship with. But this is one case that aggression will do absolutely _nothing_ to solve." Johanna says.

Seeing that arguing will get me nowhere, I shut my mouth and glare at the floor.

Johanna turns to the Evers guy,

"I'm sorry, Tobias and Tris have a history with the Erudite, as you know. But is there any way to transport her here?"

The doctor pauses before answering, "Since she is in stable condition, and doesn't require a breathing machine, then theoretically, yes"

I sigh in relief. He continues, "We will have to take a doctor to properly transfer her, and she will need to be monitored for a few days, but then she could be moved anywhere in the city as long as the proper equipment is there."

I look at Johanna in confusion, I never mentioned anything like that. She gives me a small smile, and I realize she must see that I in reality would want to be with Tris as much as possible. Amity. We work out the rest of the plan, determining we will bring her home in three days, but that I will take him there today, and Johanna says she would like to come along as well. I lead them out to the truck that I stole and begin the long drive back to the compound, staying silent as the other two occupants of the truck talk.

Later that night after the doctor checked her out and determined it would be safe to move her, I sit in my usual spot by her bedside. I am glad that Johanna agreed, though there will be some conditions. First, which was my condition, she stays with me, and I learn the basics of how to take care of her. The second condition was Johanna's, it was that we would have to find a way to make our own resources for the extra power it would take for the equipment. Cara was quick for a solution, saying that we could use some of the older solar panels that were on top of Erudite cars. She said we would need quite a few, but that those could be repaired and be useable after the fact. And finally Evers said that she would need regular checkups, and that he would not always be able to be there. Caleb started to say something, but the glare I shot him made him shut his trap fast. Cara also spoke up for this one, since she did get some medical training at her former faction.

After all the planning was over everyone that had crowded Tris and my room slowly trickled out. Between all of the planning, the drive to and from Chicago, and the argument I had with my mother, in which I was informed Christina kind of exploded on her when she tried to visit later after I had gone, I am thoroughly exhausted. I try to stay awake, because I don't want to leave her, and because of the nightmares that are sure to be there. Hard as I try my body takes over and I fall asleep. I do dream, and it's probably my worst one yet.


	5. The Nightmare

I wake up and feel to my right, looking for the person who has laid next to me for years. She isn't there. Where is she?

"Tris?" No answer.

"Tris? Where are you?" still nothing.

I get up and look around the room, then I systematically check every room I the house, she's nowhere. Then I go to walk out the front door and I am back in our room in the infirmary. I look over and she's not in her bed. Instead the entire bed is covered in blood, and I know that it's her blood. And the wires are still there, but there's a horrible screaming coming from the heart monitor that has flat lined. I try to stand, to get away from the sight and find Tris, but I slip in the blood and then… I'm wet.

I wake up and sure enough I'm soaked, and shaking like a leaf. Christina is right in front of me, and she's holding an empty bucket. Johanna, Cara, Hana, and Zeke are all standing behind her. I immediately stand up and push past her to get a good look at Tris. She looks normal, well normal for her being in a coma, the heart monitor is still showing a steady heartbeat, it isn't screaming that she is dead like in my dream. There isn't any blood, the sheets are as clean as they were when I fell asleep. I can't help it, I sink to my knees and grab her hand, trying to calm down and stop shaking. I am gasping for some reason, and I hear Johanna ask behind me

"Tobias, are you okay?"

It's a polite question, even though she knows the answer, so I'm just as polite when I turn my head around to face her and nod. I can tell she doesn't believe me, but she can tell what I mean, that I need everyone out of here. So she leaves, and then the others slowly trickle out, all except for one.

"Dude what happened?"

Zeke. I don't want to tell him what I saw, for one he's still avoiding me, and I wouldn't tell him even if he wasn't. And for two it's like my mouth is glued shut, because I'm afraid of what will happen if I open it, I really need him out of here. So I just shake my head, closing the subject. But he just stands there for a second, silent, like he's contemplating something to say. My head is still pressed in the mattress to cease the shaking, although it isn't working.

"Four-"

"Fours dead. Part of him died when he took Tris into his fear landscape. Then the rest of him died in Erudite headquarters. And I'm not bringing him back." He leaves.

As soon as he has gone I find the trash can and heave.

I get up off the floor and sit on the side of the mattress, I check her over completely, looking at her bandages to make sure everything is okay. Nothing looks wrong, there isn't any blood, and it looks like one of the nurses came in and changed the bandages while I was asleep. I work around the tubes and lay down beside her, I don't remember when I started, but my face is wet. And it isn't from the bucket that Christina threw on me. I bury my face I her hair and start breathing her in, hoping that it will work to calm down. I probably shouldn't be laying here, seeing as I know I'm getting her wet. I can't go back to sleep, the nightmares have progressively gotten worse. I'll just lay here and wait for the doctor to come, the one who will be prepping her to go back to Chicago.

Then I hear more footsteps coming down the hall towards our room. When they enter, I don't turn around to find out who they belong to, and I don't hear them sit down either. But after a bit curiosity gets the better of me and I turn to see Zeke leaning against the doorway. I detangle myself from Tris, and lean against the wall on the other side of the room.

"Mom said that what happened to Uriah wasn't technically your fault. You didn't set the explosives, all you did was disable the security system, which had nothing to do with the bomb. And now with Tris being in the same boat Uriah is in…" he stops.

At least Hana has forgiven me, even if he hasn't yet. But I can feel anger rising in my chest. I'd love to be able to patch this up, but not if he's gonna throw my comatose girlfriend in my face. He's seriously looking to get throttled.

"Whoa, wait!" He throws his hands up, apparently noticing the rising anger.

"I wasn't trying to throw anything in your face, or say it's a good thing that it happened. I just meant that I don't really blame you. I mean, you didn't know that Uriah was gonna be there. And you were fighting for the right reasons, you just went about it the wrong way."

Then, without another word, he walks out the door. I didn't expect anything else, honestly. I walk back over to the chair and sit down, resuming my vigil. Evers should be here in around an hour or two.

What I said earlier was true, I will not bring "Four" back, even though at this point it would be easier. Four was who I was _before_ the gray blur came pummeling into the net. _Before_ I decided to take a risk and trust her with my deepest secrets, _before_ I fell in love with her. Returning to him would be like leaving her, and that I will never do. I don't care if she did something risky and went instead off Caleb, because now I know _exactly_ what it is like to live without her. So, when she wakes up, _I_ will be there, no matter how angry I get. _Me._


	6. The Move

**Sorry for the delay, I had it all written but it deleted itself from my flash drive and I had to spend time in class retyping it. This should satisfy the need for Uriah to stay alive, with a touch of humor in true Uriah style.**

We're going back, today. Christina, Evers, Hana, Uriah, Zeke, Tris, and I are going home. Amar and George will join us in the city at a later date, they have more to do because they have lived at the Bureau longer. Johanna, Caleb, and Cara went back yesterday, and sent four male nurses and another doctor back to help with the transport. They brought the necessary machinery with them, enough for both of the unconscious. Johanna said she would look for us a place to stay near the hospital, preferably some sort of house or at least an apartment on the bottom floor. But the apartment would pose a problem with the solar panels, and that would require a whole lot more work on Cara's part.

Cara said she should have the solar panels ready by the time we get to move in, wherever that is gonna be. She having some of her old "acquaintances" help her, meaning Caleb, since I wouldn't let him help with anything after we move out of Erudite.

 _I'm gonna have to stop calling it that._

Johanna told me what she has been up to since I left. She got the Government to let Chicago remain as independent as it possibly can. It will be self-sufficient. The fence will be torn down, and people will be able to come and go as they please.

Tris and Uriah will be transported in separate ambulances that Amar "found" around the compound. Hana will be riding with Uriah, and in each ambulance a nurse will drive, and the other nurse and a doctor will be in the back to keep an eye on vitals. I'm riding with Tris, and Evers is in the ambulance with us. Amar is driving the truck that will take the rest of them back.

I take a shower and pack Tris' and my possessions, combined they fit in one bag. I took a shower earlier, and threw the clothes that I was wearing away. I make my way back to Tris' room, and they are hooking her up the Erudite machinery. Evers looks over at me, and then returns to the task at hand. He seems to have accepted that I will be staying in the hospital with Tris whenever we get there. They will show me how to handle all of the day-to-day functions of caring for a coma patient while we're there.

"We're ready to move her now,"

I walk over to them and grab the edge of the sheet that I'm offered, lifting her off of the bed and onto the gurney that will take her to our ambulance. We roll her and the machines down the hallways and to the entrance. After we get her situated in the ambulance, Evers, one of the nurses, and I climb in behind her. The other nurse will be driving the ambulance. Then Christina walks up to our open door.

"Amar is gonna lead, and Zeke and I are in the truck with him. We figured that this would let you guys know where the holes are so you don't hit them." The nurse that will be driving nods at her and walks up to the front. She looks at me,

"All of your stuff is also in the truck with us, the entire _bag_ " emphasizing on bag like it's so much.

"We'll get it to you when we get there. Okay?" Evers nods, and she shuts the door and leaves.

The ride is fairly uneventful, save the few ruts that we did hit, one causing me to hit my head on the roof. About half an hour later we roll to a stop. The nurse opens the doors and I see that we are at the hospital. We start getting Tris out of the ambulance when the nurse from the other ambulance walks up to us.

"The receptionist said to take her to the second floor. Something… _interesting_ happened on the other ambulance."

 _What?_

Evers is the first to speak "What happened?"

"The kid they had with them woke up."

 _Kid woke up? Uriah._

"What happened?"

"Remember that bump we felt a couple miles before we entered the city?" Yeah the one that made me hit my head.

"Well, Jacob said that it jolted him out of his bed. He rolled onto the floor and muttered "Ouch". We almost had three patients because his mother started freaking out. They've got him in recovery now."

Well at least there is some good that came out of today, besides getting them out of the Bureau. We get her into the building and take her to the second floor.


	7. The Hospital

It's been a week since we arrived at the Erudite hospital. Uriah has been released, much to the relief of the nurses. Apparently, his humor has returned. Though I'm not sure it actually left, considering the way he woke up. It's as if he actually planned to return in the most humorous way that he possibly could've, given the circumstances. According to Christina, who has been spending equal time in both of the rooms, he has been more than a little suggestive, though she said that she could tell he was joking around with them. He went back to Dauntless, to finish his recovery at his mother's house. He came in our room after he was able to walk around the wings. That really gave the nurses a fit. When he walked in I barely looked up, thinking it was just a doctor. He tried to joke around for a few minutes, then when he saw it was getting him nowhere, he walked out of the room.

I've spent my entire week in this hospital, learning how to take care of the day-to-day needs of a coma patient. They gave us a similar room to the one in Erudite, one with a bathroom in it, so I don't have to leave. Since we got here, Evers has been the one teaching me how to handle her. He wasn't the one taking care of Uriah, he got the other doctor that they sent. Apparently, Johanna made it clear that Tris was somehow important.

Cara came to visit some, telling me about how everything was coming along with the solar panels. She already had them fixed, and they didn't need any mounts because they were on the Erudite cars. They just needed a way to get them on the roof of the place that Johanna had selected for us to live. Zeke walked in almost right as she was mentioning that one little detail, I'm not sure whether or not that was actually deliberate, but he seemed innocent enough. He volunteered to haul them up there while Cara and Caleb mounted them, to be the brawl while the brains did what they were supposed to do. It made me realize that I hadn't lost my fried.

I haven't been to the place that Johanna picked for us, I left t completely up to her. I knew that she would find a place that would be comfortable for us, she _is_ Amity. She has come to visit as well, and she told me about it while she was here, when the doctor had left and I wasn't so focused on paying attention to him.

"The house is roughly five blocks away from the hospital, where the families used to live. It's not a very big house, just a bit larger than the size of a normal apartment. It's ready for you whenever you're ready to leave." I was vaguely stunned at all the information, and I could only thank her for her help.

Tris has been... asleep. She still hasn't woke up, though it appears Uriah's incident has given everyone more hope that she will wake as well. She took the trip well, according to Evers. I've done my best not to sleep that much since we've been here, I don't think anyone here would appreciate my screaming that much, and I'm not in the mood to wake up thoroughly drenched again. Christina said that night one of the nurses came in the dormitory to get them because I was screaming in my sleep. They were afraid of what I might do if I woke up. Christina said that they all went running towards the infirmary, and when they got close they heard me. She said that I could pretty much guess the rest.

We are going to the house tomorrow, Evers has decided it's safe and that my "training" is complete. He come to check on her twice a month, and Cara will come once a week. Other than that it'll just be me and her in that little house. One of the nurses suggested that I talk to her, like I hadn't been, though not when there are others in the room. It feels a little weird, like I finally lost what remains of my sanity, which is completely tied to her as well. It's strange, this currently one sided relationship. I love her, but she isn't conscious enough to love me back. I talk to her, she remains silent. I have completely bound myself to her, and I haven't even known her a year. And right now she can't hear me tell her that, can't hear it when I plead with her to wake up before it's too late.

One of the nurses walks in, and gives me a small vial of pink liquid. I recognize it as the stuff they gave Tris when we got to Amity, the serum that prevents you from dreaming. I honestly don't remember if I took it then, but I accept it now. Someone, probably Johanna, must have told them about my lack of sleep due to nightmares. Mostly just "the nightmare". I sit in the chair, then think better of it and arrange myself around Tris gradually fall into the black deep of sleep.


	8. Home

We're about a block away from the new place, according to Johanna's directions. Johanna and Cara will be waiting for us when we get there. I hold her hand as we ride in the back of the ambulance, like I did on the trip back here.

"We're here." The door opens, and I wait for Evers to climb out before I let go of her hand and jump out after him. The nurse in the truck and the one who drove us here get her situated and eventually wrangle the gurney out of the doors and onto the sidewalk. I look up and immediately know which house is ours, because of the mass of solar panels on the top, and the two people on the roof. Zeke is on the peak of the roof, holding onto a small rope that is attached to a harness, which is attached to- Caleb.

Zeke takes a hand off of the harness and waves, and Caleb kind of slips a few inches. He yelps and looks up at Zeke, who I can tell is trying not to grin. I manage a small one as well. It looks like Caleb is hooking up the solar panels to the cord that leads down the breaker box. Caleb pounds on the roof and I hear Cara shout that it works from inside the house. He looks up at Zeke, who nods in my direction. Caleb looks back at me, then up at Zeke and shakes his head. He climbs up to where Zeke is and sits on the peak of the roof.

After the nurses have her completely out of the back, we make our way up the sidewalk leading to the door. Johanna is waiting inside, and she leads us into what I can only assume is the bedroom, which is fairly big considering the size of the house. There is a hospital bed to one side, and a small regular mattress a few feet from it. The nurses start working to transfer Tris onto the hospital bed, I walk over to where Johanna and Cara are standing. To my surprise, Johanna walks up and does that thing where she shakes my hand, and it somehow turns into a hug. Then Cara walks over holding something in her hands.

"I set this up with a video link to that camera right over there." She points to a camera that I hadn't noticed before attached to the frame of the foot of the bed.

"Basically, whenever you have to leave the house, then you'll be able to keep an eye on her. It also has a link to her equipment, so if her heart rate increases, or she moves, then you'll know about it because it'll start beeping" She starts demonstrating how it works, showing me how to open the live video feed, and what noise it will make if something triggers it. After she is through, she hands the device to me, ad walks over to where the doctor and Johanna are standing, and starts speaking with him.

I shuffle over to Tris' bedside ad set the monitor down. Everything seems to have gone smoothly, and I'm starting to get cautious, nothing ever goes by without some kind of hitch. Then the hitch walks in the door.

Caleb walks over to Cara, and says something about the solar panels being completely set up. He starts to walk over to Tris, but stops when he notices my glare. Johanna walks over to me and motions for me to follow her. When I don't, she turns to Caleb.

"Can you give me a minute with him?"

Caleb nods and leaves the room.

"He's her brother, Tobias"

"Well, he should've acted like one."

"She wouldn't let him, remember? She held a gun to his head."

"He _knew_ she wouldn't shoot him! And after everything he did to her, he couldn't even go through with what he said he would do!"

"Yes, but do you really think she would want you to behave like this? After she was willing to give her life to save his?"

"I-I" I falter. I can't argue with her, so I just shoot myself out of my chair and storm out of the room. Mainly to keep myself from stopping where he is, I go outside. Zeke is out there, and I guess he knows something happened, because he comes up slow, like I might hit him if he comes up too fast.

"Hey man"

"What?" I'm not really capable of making whole sentences right now.

"Well, you scared him good. Do you remember earlier, when he had me pull him back up to the peak of the roof?"

"Yeah"

"He was actually done and fixing to come down, but when I told him that you were here, then he decided better of it and had me pull him up higher. Apparently he thought he'd be safer the higher he could get, like you could leap up there and get him"

"Then why did he come inside the house when he knew I was I there?"

"He knew Johanna wouldn't let you hurt him, I guess. Anyway, he had to talk to Cara, and I guess he wanted to see his sister." Then he notices the look I give him. "Not that he deserves to be here" he adds.

"Yeah well, at least I scare him. That should keep him away most of the time."

Then Johanna, Cara, Evers, and everybody else walks out of the house. Everybody says goodbye, save the nurses and Caleb. Then they all leave and head to their respective places in the city. I walk back in the house and walk into the bedroom. I check her over, then take a look at my surroundings. They gave it the basic furnishings, and my bed is about three feet from her. That's good. I go in the kitchen to get something to eat.

A while later I walk back in the bedroom and, after checking her over to make sure she is okay, I take my place in the chair beside her, and eventually doze off.

Tonight is the first night that I do not have nightmares, without drugs, that is.


	9. Maybe I Can Hope

**Sorry it took me so log. I am probably only gonna be able to update once a week now. My parents are moving out Friday! Thank you for your reviews! Sorry I haven't replied, I'm more of a social beetle.**

I year, 49 weeks later

Three weeks left. I- we have three weeks until Tris is unplugged. I was so sure she would have woke up by now. I have to talk to somebody, get an extension of some sort. I'm not ready to let go yet. She might wake up before it is over, still, but it is unlikely. I'll talk to Johanna today after work, try to do something.

I look to my side from where I'm lying on my bed, her heart monitor is going steady, not missing a beat. There have been a few occasions where it has been erratic, but it never turned out to be the erratic I needed. She always returned to normal, never moving- just existing. She is too…fiery- to just exist. The fear of what might come in three weeks if I don't do something rises. I rise and walk over and check the feeding tube. We had a few issues with that around a month ago with it, the machine malfunctioned. Really it is the only machine she depends on, and it will be disconnected if I can't stop them. I get ready for work, I'm basically Johanna's secretary, though the term officially used is "assistant". I grab the monitor on my way out the door.

I drive the seventeen miles to work in silence. Christina called me yesterday to find out if it would be okay for everyone to come over around six o clock, and I didn't have any objections. I don't go out with them anymore, I have completely devoted my existence to the well-being of Tris. I don't blame her for it, though. Caleb comes over to see her some, though always when I'm at work. That relationship has not improved.

I heard my mother left the Bureau and headed west. Where, I'm not sure. But she hasn't tried to get in contact with me.

Once I'm at work, I go to my office and start diminishing the small pile of paperwork that was left for me overnight. Mostly all I have to do is copy the handwritten files into the computer, then upload them to the system, then file them into the category they belong in, then separate them into their separate files within their category. A little time consuming, but mostly monotonous tapping of computer keys. A couple of hours later I reach for the monitor and turn it on and set it up in front of me, so that I can look at it from time to time. I do this almost every day that I'm here, and it's more or less just to reassure me.

I finish filing the progress report on the road construction in the north section of town. I grab the next report, not expecting what I see. It's our file, Tris' and mine. Maybe it just got mixed up in the file. I start typing anyway, looking at Tris' monitor. After I have it typed and in the correct category, I am unsure what file to put it in, because I haven't made my appeal to Johanna yet. I save the report, and continue with the others that are in my stack, I only have a couple left. When I get through filing the reports, I gather up the laptop and the monitor, and make my way to Johanna's office. She didn't have much scheduled for today, so I'm sure I won't be interrupting anything important.

I walk through the halls and finally reach the office that belongs to the person I am looking for. I knock on her door, knowing she won't make me wait long- she never does, for anybody. A month ago when Tris feeding tube malfunctioned I was actually in here, and I ran out of the door without so much as a "Something happened". She found out what was wrong when Evers got to our house, and she followed him. I wasn't reprimanded, she just understood that I had to get home as quickly as possible and let me off the hook. She opens the door and interrupts my thoughts.

"Good afternoon, Tobias. How have you been here lately" small talk, great. I walk over to her desk and set down the computer.

"Hello, Johanna. Nothing has really changed."

"Good. How about Tris? Has she changed any?"

"No. She hasn't."

She just stands there, knowing how touchy the subject is, so I continue.

"I actually have a question about one of the files you gave me. The one about Tris and I."

She doesn't say anything

"I know we had an agreement, but I can't just sit back and not have at least tried. I had to do something."

She just stands there and stares at me for a few minutes. I stick my hands in my pockets to hide the fact that they shake.

She opens the computer and I hear the rhythmic ticks that indicate typing. A few minutes later she makes a few strokes on the screen and shuts it off. She hands it back over to me.

"That should answer your questions, Tobias. Have a nice time, tonight. It's not often you have people over."

"Thank you." I choke out. I manage to force my shaky hands to put the laptop in my bag, and walk out of the office. I go back to my office, weaving my way back through the halls. When I get back within the confines of the walls of my office, I just stare at the bag that holds my answer. I should wait until I get home to open it, just in case. I can go home because I have nothing left to do, that was one of the perks of working for Johanna. She told me when I first started that I could go home if there was nothing left for me to do. I don't mingle here with my co-workers, so I make it home early on most days. I gather my things and rush out of the office to get home.


	10. The Revaling

**I apologize for such a short chapter. I didn't want to ruin the reveal of Johanna's verdict with a whole bunch of other stuff, soooo I decided to keep it short and sweet. Thank you for the support, and please let me know if you like this chapter**

I walked through the door, and was immediately greeted by the steady beeping of Tris heart monitor. I fear what Johanna wrote in that file, because it tells our future. If we have one. I set my stuff aside when I enter our room, walking over to her side to check for any sign of life. No moving, nothing but the steady rising and falling of her chest as she breathes.

I tidy the house up, checking to make sure that everything that is needed is out. The last time everyone was in the same place at the same time was when we were destroying the fear landscape room. That was over a year ago. Tris was there in a way, I left the monitor on while we tore out the wiring, and destroyed the computers. But just out of curiosity, I went in mine one last time. I had to know if anything had changed, since my worst fear was basically happening right in front of me every day that her condition did not change. The four fears were still there, sure enough. But the simulation was not over, like I was expecting.

At first there was nothing in the next sim, it was like I had walked in a very dark room. Then the whispers started. _She's gone._ Over and over again. Then I realized that the mouth that was uttering those whispers was my own. I was saying it. The fear wasn't of losing her, it was of what comes after I lose her, the darkness that consume me. The things that I did in that simulation opened my eyes to ask myself that question of what would I do if she were to leave me completely. And I figured out exactly what I would do, the simulation answered that question for me.

I have to find out what she wrote in that file, and putting it off isn't going to change anything. I walk from the kitchen through the living room and into the bedroom. I grab the bag and set down on my bed, facing Tris, and pull the laptop out of the bag. Turning it on, I search through the files until I reach the right one. I tap on it and feel my hands going numb, then feel as the numbness starts to creep up my arms. Then I scroll down to the bottom, and find what Johanna wrote.

 _Mr. Eaton requested an extension in the time until Ms. Prior's life support should be cut. I had previously discussed this with Dr. Evers and he saw no harm in the action, though he viewed the act as nearly pointless. So, an extension of one year has been granted to Ms. Prior and Mr. Eaton. After this time period, she only has a six percent chance of regaining consciousness, so the extension of one year will tell us if she will ever wake up. I wish the best of luck, and hope, to Mr. Eaton and Ms. Prior._

I take a breath, and release all the built p tension that had been accumulating for a very long time. I walk over to Tris, kiss her forehead, and send up a silent prayer that she will come back to me this time. Then I hear a knock on the door and go open it to reveal the friends that are have stood by the both of us for over two years now.


	11. The Countdown

Another Time Jump

53 weeks, 4 days, 17 hours, 23 minutes

I have two days, actually I have two days, six hours, thirty six minutes, and nineteen seconds. I've had a countdown clock in my head for a month now. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, at 3:15 pm. As to why they picked that specific time, I don't know. At this point I have lost hope. Christina, Zeke, a very pregnant Shauna, and the rest of everybody will be there, hell, even Johanna and Caleb. But I will not, and they don't know that. I have my own plans, I do not care if they make me a coward. I haven't been to work for the past week, and Johanna hasn't pressured me to come. People have tried knocking on the door, but I haven't answered. I feel like I did when I was told that the doctors were gonna pull her plug with or without my consent…lost.

When I first moved into my apartment at Dauntless, I took the time to paint the words "Fear God Alone" on my ceiling. I felt it described the perfect combination of Dauntless and the religion most of the Abnegation taught. The Dauntless had Christianity among their people too. I remember reading those words before I went to sleep at night and when I would wake up in the morning. Now I wonder why I even bothered. She was almost everything the He wants us to be, and yet she meets an end as pitiful as this. Her life will be extinguished, not in some heroic act like it would have been if she had died three years ago, but with the quiet whisper of life giving machinery being turned off. I am sure that the faith that I once had has been all but completely erased.

This could be called sad, that I have let myself come to this. But I kept my promise to her, Four has never returned. And I will be by her side even in the end, even if I am not physically here.

I hear a knock on the door. I lay back down on the bed, still in my bed clothes. Whoever the culprit is just knocks harder. I groan and get up off the bed and stumble through the living room, barefoot. Big mistake. I forgot about the blue sculpture that my mother had given me when I was young. After we came back to Chicago, I went to my old house to retrieve it. I didn't keep it for nostalgia, I kept it as a reminder for several things. The first was that rules could be broke, and that it didn't always have a negative outcome. The second was that there was always light in the darkness, that even in the dark situation I was in I found hope in the opportunity to become free. And third was courage, courage to leave the only thing I had ever known, and the courage that I needed now to be strong for Tris even though I might never be with her again, on an intellectual level anyway. I was always aware of her physical presence, but that is not the same as hearing her voice or watching ass her face lit up when I finally had gathered the nerves to tell her what was going on in my head.

The sculpture is currently lying shattered in my living room floor. The other night I was staring at it like it might be able to breathe life back into her broken body. Then I got pissed at everything and everyone, but mostly pissed at myself, and I slung it across the room.

I felt a shard slice its way across my foot, but I didn't feel it. I limped the rest of the way to the door and swung the door open.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

Evelyn was standing on my front porch, waiting in the snow.

"May I come in?" I contemplated that question.

"Only after you tell me what the hell you are doing here."

She gives me an exasperated look.

"I just want to talk, and it is freezing out here. Please let me in, I swear that I will not start anything."

I move aside and let her in before I slam the door shut, quite by accident. I hobble into the bathroom to get a towel to stick on my foot, and when I come back in the living room she is holding on of the shards of the sculpture that are strewn across the floor. She looks up at me.

"Is this the sculpture that I gave you?"

I am not in the mood for a screaming match, and I have to give Tris the liquid nutrition in the next hour. I don't answer her, I just walk into the kitchen to grab the broom and dustpan. She seems to take that as an answer in itself, and when I re-enter the living room she takes the broom from me and sweeps the mess up then throws it in the trash bin. I sit in a dining chair while she sits down on the couch. Neither of us speak for what feels like hours, and I press the towel to my foot. Eventually she starts talking, though I never, _ever_ , expected to hear Evelyn admit fault. I am only barely paying attention to what she says. Eventually she stops talking and I faintly register that I am supposed to say something. I don't want to, but I do nonetheless.

"She was right you know, I am desperate." She just gives me a look. I don't explain, I just nod at her and go retrieve a bandage from the bathroom, seeing as I can't walk and hold a towel to my foot at the same time.

After I get through rolling some bandage around my foot, I walk back and she looks up at me.

"Do you want me to stay here? You look like you could use the help" eyeing my foot.

"No, I'm fine. That was nothing really."

She looks at me for a few seconds like she is trying to determine whether or not I am telling the truth. Eventually she nods and rises to walk out the front door.

I turn back around and hobble to my room. After I start her intravenous feeding, I turn and collapse face first onto my mattress and resume the count down in my head. I look at my watch.

Two days, three hours, forty-nine minutes, and…eleven seconds.


	12. The Day

**So, cliffhanger alert! Sorry!**

Seven hours, thirty-two minutes, and fifty four seconds

I cannot take this. I grab my back-up plan from its hiding place, taped on the underside of Tris' mattress. Thankfully no one is here often because they might have noticed the little vial full of purple liquid. I wait for Christian and Cara to show, knowing that I will slip out the back before they can notice me leave. I just don't want her to be alone, physically. I have it planned, at exactly 3:15, my life ends alongside hers.

No time separated by life and death.

As soon as I hear them knocking on the door, I walk to the back of the kitchen and slip out the back door. I take off down the alley that borders our back yard towards my destination. I make it to the train and pull myself into the car. I ride around the city, looping once before checking my watch to notice the time. 11:23 pm. Three hours, fifty-two minutes, and thirty-two seconds. I jump off the train as it passes my stop, stumbling as pain shots up my foot from where I sliced it open the other day. I feel it but I don't feel it. I have shut out the world, every sound muffled, every taste bland, every sight a dull swirl of color. I have nothing left, no more to hold on to.

I limp toward the rising piece of machinery that I always associate with her. The Ferris Wheel. Zipping up the pocket that holds my escape, I grab a rung and start my ascent upwards. As I climb my way to the top, I don't even feel the fear that should come with my feet being this far from the ground. I guess maybe the numbing that has taken the rest of my body has taken away the ability to feel anything but the mind-numbing pain and emptiness that are coursing through me at this very moment.

I make it to a spot resembling the one we climbed to the night that we played Capture the Flag. The place we actually were at is probably somewhere below us, as I did have to turn it on to save her. I scoot over to one of the carts, seeing as that will be the closest thing I will get to solid ground up here.

I've mused exactly how I would do this since it happened, for the past three years. At first I thought maybe I could suffer through it and maybe manage to lead something resembling a life if she passed. But after that fear landscape I knew that would never happen. I cannot live in a world where Tris Prior is nothing but a memory, an image conjured by our minds when we have some experience that takes us back to a time when she was present. And I will not.

I brought the monitor with me, though I am not sure the purpose of this action. Maybe the part of me that has been called masochistic is surfacing and I just want to torture myself. Amar told me about the conversation that took place on the way back from the Fringe. A few things about it really surprised me, to the point that I felt a little- awkward around Amar. I never avoided him- at least not any more than I avoided anyone else.

My hands seem to be working of their own volition when they turn the monitor on. Christina has her face in front of the camera and she is screaming at me. I guess the noticed the absence of both myself and the monitor, and knew that I took it with me.

"Tobias, where the hell are you? You're supposed to be here!"

The rest of it just muffles out in my head while I try and will her to move. After a few she throws her hands up in the air and moves to give me the view that I desire.

Tris has changed while she has lain dormant on that bed. She's grown from being a bright teenager to being the comatose woman that still completely has me. She used to be so embarrassed about her flat chest and small figure. But she has lost all that, she has grown and matured all the while never being able to witness it first-hand.

I didn't realize that I was crying until I feel the wet leak its way onto my jeans. I stay there like that, just watching her and barely hearing all the comments that are being thrown my way. I check my watch, 2:53 pm.

It is close.

The doctor has arrived, so I turn off the monitor and set it down on the bench beside me. I look down, apparently that fear holds no power over me right now. In the fear landscape, I simply stepped off into the chasm, but I found that a bit dramatic. I'm almost hoping that nobody finds me up here. At least not for a while. Maybe they'll just assume that I ran off. Tris would view this as a great act of cowardice, and I wholeheartedly agree. But I no longer hold the willpower to do anything else.

I take the death serum out of my pocket, a vial that I stole whenever the storehouses of the simulation serums were being destroyed. All the practical serums were kept, like the paralytic serum, the peace serum, truth serum, and even the death serum. But they didn't do inventory until after everything was burned. Which made it the perfect opportunity. I kept it hid from everyone, underneath the hospital bed, because I hoped that I would never have to actually use it.

I unscrew the cap, and toss it out into the field, then watch it as it drops. I see the train in the distance, probably about two or three miles away. I look into the vial of the death serum. I did a little bit of research after I took it from the labs. Basically it immediately attacks the motor nerves while numbing the rest of your body, which cause you to lose basic functions like your heart beating. This happens in seconds and there is no pain felt, well that's the way it was supposed to be engineered. No one has survived to tell. You can theoretically take it orally, but it was so controlled that no one has ever tried, it has only ever been injected or absorbed like the aerosol that David created.

I raise it almost like a toast.

3:14 pm.

 _See you later, Tris_

Then I hear the shrill ring that signifies that the heart monitor is acting up. They did it. Out of morbid curiosity, I pick up the monitor and switch it on, knowing what I will see.

What I see makes me drop the vial.


	13. Hospital, the Second Time

As I am riding the train to the Erudite hospital, the only thing that my mind has focused on is she has woken up. And that I was not there for it, for her, like I swore that I would be. I don't deserve her, and she deserves better than some broken thing that I am, but she is stuck with me for as long as she will have me. I dropped the monitor, but I didn't go back to retrieve it, I have a feeling that I will not be needing it. As for the serum, I don't care.

I jump off the train when it gets to the section of town by the hospital, and take off in a sprint towards it. I must look like an idiot, running in three inches of snow with no coat, just a flimsy jacket. I push past people, trying to get there as fast as humanly possible. When I make it to the hospital, I start to run up to the nurse's desk, but Shauna sees me first. She shouts and waves me over to where she is at the elevators.

"Tobias, where the hell have you been?"

"Where is she?"

"Second floor, same room she was in when we came back, but wait! Tobias!"

But I have already taken off, heading for the stairs and bolting up them. I run through the halls, pushing past nurses, and being careful to avoid anyone who looks remotely fragile. When I make it to the hallway, I see Christina, Zeke, Cara, and everybody else standing outside the door. I run up to them, and start to run through the door, but Zeke stops me.

"Wait Tobias, just wait. You might not want to go in there right now."

"Why the hell is everybody trying to-"

I am interrupted by Uriah.

"I'm not sure what is going on here, but she is royally pissed off at you right now. I have never heard a Stiff curse that much before! She kept going on about you better not do it, and that she was gonna kick your butt, only with a lot of expletives. Did I mention that I have never heard a Stiff curse that much before?"

Then I hear "TOBIAS EATON!" coming from inside the room.

As I push past everybody blocking the door, I hear Christina mutter "It is _your_ funeral"

I enter the room, and my eyes meet hers. And as soon as I enter the room, she starts screaming at me.

"Tobias Eaton, what the hell do you think you were doing?!" but I stop paying attention and run over and grab her, crushing her to my chest.

She tries to push me back, maybe to yell at me some more, but I am holding on for dear life. I almost feel like if I let go, she will disappear, and I will wake up and this will all have been a dream. Eventually she gives up, and clutches me just as tight as I'm clutching her. Then I hear her speak, muffled from her face in my chest.

"We will finish that conversation later"

I nod, hoping that she understands. Eventually I let her go, and sit on the side of her bed. Evers walks in after a few minutes, and starts talking to Tris.

"For someone who has been in a coma for that long, you have remarkable use of your body. From someone like you we wouldn't expect them to be able to do much more than blink, let alone talk, or scream, or move their upper torso, without extensive therapy. I think that you should be able to go home by the end of next week."

The rest of the night went in a flash as various friends came in to visit. When it came time for her to eat, the nurse stood there like she expected there to be some issue, but Tris did just fine, eventually glaring daggers at the nurse until she left. At around nine p.m., she started to drift off. Dr. Evers came back in to check up on her, and to let me know that I was "welcome to stay the night". The only thing I did was give him this look, one that clearly conveyed that he was an idiot if he thought I was going to leave. He looked at me, and walked out of the room. As I started to get comfortable in my chair, Tris mutters something.

"What?"

"I said that you are not going to sleep in that damned chair"

"Seriously, when did you get such a dirty mouth?"

"Since I witnessed my boyfriend try to drink death serum"

"How do you know what I was doing?" I am extremely baffled at this point.

"I was right there! Screaming at you trying to get you to stop, until I could finally get back here! Did you really think that I was never gonna come back?! I w-"

"No I didn't"

"What?"

"I said that I did not think at the time that you were gonna wake up before they disconnected the feeder. And I wasn't too friendly to the idea of living in a world without you in it. You honestly cannot have expected me to do anything else"

"So you were just going to-"

"Didn't the ordeal with Erudite headquarters tell you anything?! I was more willing to walk into a death trap to be with you then just let you go there to die! Even if it meant that I died along with you!"

She just stares at me for a few minutes, then I continue.

"And honestly, if you hadn't have woken up, and I didn't try that, what do you think would've happened? I might've been able to try for a little while, but it would have caught up with me eventually.

So yes, I was going to drink the death serum, because a life without you does not appeal to me in the least."

She still just lays there, and after a second finally says, "Well, you are still not sleeping in that damned chair."

"Well, do you want me to sleep in the floor?"

"No"

"Should I have one of the nurses bring a second bed in?"

"Nope"

"Am I sleeping?"

"Yes"

"Okay, where am I sleeping?"

She scoots over and pats the bed beside her. "There is room here, of course"

"No, because-"

"Don't "no because" me, get your ass in this bed right now."

"Yes ma'am" I walk over and lay down beside her, and she lays down and puts her head on my chest. I reach behind me to grab the remote and turn off the lights.

"Goodnight, Tobias"

"Good night"

"I love you"

"Love you too. Please don't do that to me again."

"Yes, sir"

"I'm serious, Tris. Please."

"All right"


	14. Finale

**So, this is the final chapter. Thank you for all of the feedback!**

Tris is showing the doctors up, it has been a week and they are discharging her from the hospital. I remember the look on Evers' face whenever she got off the bed and walked to the bathroom, by herself. To tell you the truth, I was only a little surprised. She hates being taken care of. Apparently, everybody we know pitched in to make the apartment more suitable for two people. I haven't left the hospital, as usual. I went with her on walks down the halls, and helped her with everything I possibly could. And she has vehemently refused to let me sleep anywhere but in the bed beside her. She has started to gain color again, but the weight that has gradually fallen off will take a while to bring back.

I am currently walking back to our room from the lobby. Christina went shopping for some clothes for Tris seems how the ones she had before don't fit and she basically had to wear scrubs for the past three years. Cara brought an outfit for her to wear home today, seeing as she works here. She hadn't woke up when I left the room, so when Cara called and said that she had left the clothes in the lobby. Zeke and Shauna actually brought me a small duffel bag the morning after she rejoined us in consciousness. I step through the door into the room to find, nothing. She isn't in her bed.

"Tris?"

I hear a muffled sound coming from behind the door to the bathroom.

"What?"

"I said I'm in here!"

"Okay, Cara brought some clothes by, do you want me to leave them out here?"

"Just crack the door open and slide them in"

I do as she asks just as Evers walks in.

"I'd like for her to visit once a week so we can monitor her to make sure her progress continues. This rate of progress is very unusual, so I'd like to stay safe and keep tabs just so we don't err on the side of caution."

"Okay, I'll talk to her about that, and we'll let you know before we leave"

"If it is more…convenient for you, I have a private office a couple of blocks away."

Considering our history with this particular building, that would be a less…unnerving location. But, I don't ask for the address right away because I'm not even sure that Tris will agree to be "monitored" once a week.

I hear the bathroom door open and look over.

"I don't understand what the big deal is, why you have to talk to me. Can't he just override what I say anyway? Because I'm the patient?"

"Yeah, probably. But anyway, what do you think?

"I guess, as long as I don't have to come _here_ once a week"

As we search for Evers, I can't help but notice the way she cringes at certain parts of this building. The building itself hasn't changed much, even though the world around it has.

"Why don't you go wait outside and let me find him? He might even be back at the room by now. I'll meet you outside."

She gives me a funny look, but turns around and heads in the direction of the exit, anyway. On my hunch, I walk back to the room.

After that conversation is over, I immediately walk out of the building in search of Tris. After a quick scan of my surroundings, I find her sitting on one of the benches.

"So?"

"He gave me the address, and I know where it is. He said to come by next Tuesday, around 2:00"

"Okay, so, where to now?"

As I lead her home, neither of us speak. I wish I knew what is going through her head.

When we walk through the door, I see that our friends erased all evidence of the coma. The machinery is gone, both of the beds have been replaced with a single, larger bed.

I leave her to look around, while I go into the bathroom to shower. When I exit, I find her in the kitchen.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for something to eat"

"Okay, here. Let me help"

We find that the cabinets have been stocked with food. After we have eaten, I send her to go rest, while I do the dishes.

We're going to be okay. I waited for her, for as long as I cared to. I will not leave her just because she requires some… help. I'll take care of her for the rest of her life, if that's what it takes. But knowing her, she will try to refuse that help. The time made me mature, and her as well. We're not the same people that made those choices three years ago. I'm sure that she would probably make the same choice over again, but I would have given mine more thought. I might've stayed behind, and sent somebody else to give the serum. But then, everything would have been different. So, I don't regret what happened. It lead us to where we are today, more mature and able to understand who we are and who the other is. So, if I had it to do all over again, I would still wait for her.


End file.
